THE SUBSTITUTE; 
Or, Entomological Exchange Facilitator, and 
Entomologist’s Fire-side Companion. 
No. 6.] SATURDAY, NOVEM BER 29, 1856. [Price QcL 
THE CABINET QUESTION. 
There is nothing perhaps more 
embarrassing to a yonng collector 
than to determine what to do with 
his insects after he has taken them 
and set them out. He probably 
appropriates as a receptacle for 
them the first thing he meets 
which he can convert to the pur- 
pose, — brother’s hat-box, sister’s 
work-boxes, a moiety of mama’s 
cheffbnier, or papa’s desk, liave all 
served their turn as apologies for 
a cabinet. The first fault of a be- 
ginner is that he does not pass the 
pins sufficiently far through the 
insects, and they are thus still 
less able to penetrate into the 
wood than they would be if they 
went further through the speci- 
mens ; consequently in a little 
lime he finds the delights of his 
eyes pirouetting across the boards 
with very inappropriate partners, 
accompanied by a number of little 
attendants, which, after the uni- 
versal custom, always wait upon 
the great for the sake of a living. 
Remember then to line your re- 
ceptacles, whatever they are, with 
cork, which you may procure of 
any of the insect dealers, in sheets 
or pieces, ready for use, and pass 
the pins so far through the insects 
that they may have a firm hold in 
the cork. And to keep down the 
mites fix a lump of camphor in 
each corner, or put in a few drops 
of Borneote of Petroline, if yon 
don’t dislike the smell of tar; the 
mites cannot abide it. Still the 
question remains, what are the re- 
ceptacles to be ? Chip-boxes, in 
which toys are sold, do very well 
for collecting in, and square paste- 
board-boxes, about 2 inches deep 
and with moveable lids, serve for 
keeping insects in. On the Con- 
tinent the general custom is to 
keep collections in such boxes. 
We have heard of one entomolo- 
gist who has a most extensive col- 
lection all in such boxes, each 
holding but a single species, and 
all labelled on the back, and 
arranged on shelves, so that any 
species can be referred to at once, 
a good plan it may be for one 
with plenty of time, but we do not 
recommend such a subdivision. 
Wooden boxes 3 inches deep and 
16 by 14 inches square, opening in 
G 
